Safety Will Remain Top Priority With Aviation, Says Transportation Secretary Nominee

Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) has vowed to prioritize safety at the Department of Transportation, saying it would remain the top priority with aviation if he is confirmed by the Senate to lead the agency.

Duffy opened with those promises during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Jan. 15. Throughout questioning from senators of both parties, Duffy said he endorses the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continuing its oversight of Boeing, supports continued infrastructure funding, and wants full transparency on the mystery drones reported over multiple U.S. states for the past several months.

The hearing, led by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), was cordial. Both Republican and Democratic senators expressed their fondness for Duffy and his vision of prioritizing safety with the Transportation Department.

Duffy previously served Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district from 2011 to 2019.

Safety-Focused Transportation Department

In his opening remarks, Duffy repeatedly emphasized safety. Referencing the tens of thousands of Americans who die in roadway accidents every year, he said the situation “hits close to home” because his wife survived a head-on car crash that “profoundly reshaped her life.”

“If confirmed, I will prioritize road safety and assuring lives and families aren’t forever changed by preventable accidents,” Duffy said.

“In aviation, safety will remain its top priority. America needs more air traffic controllers.”

Duffy said the Transportation Department needs the “best and the brightest air traffic controllers” and that he would work with the FAA to “restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure that our skies are safe.”

“Transportation is an extraordinary new era,” Duffy said. “We’re in a global race to out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world.”

If confirmed, he said, the Transportation Department will “craft clear regulations, which balance safety innovation and cutting-edge technology, but always focused on safety.”

Duffy also said he supports the FAA’s oversight of Boeing, which increased following the deadly 737 MAX 8 crashes and the Alaskan Airlines door panel incident.

“Boeing is a national security issue,” Duffy said. “Boeing is the largest exporter of American product. … They need tough love.”

He said he would work with the FAA to ensure Boeing implements its safety plan, which the agency mandated last year.

“I [would] like to talk to the safety experts at the FAA to see where we’re at and where we need to go to make sure we continue to advance safe airplanes being built at Boeing and exported around the world,” Duffy said.

He also promised to work with the FAA to make sure it continues appropriate oversight of the airplane manufacturer.

Transparency on Mystery Drones

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who was just sworn in this month, asked Duffy about the mystery drone sightings that began over his home state several months ago. Kim suggested that the drones might create safety issues with flight space, especially at night.

He asked Duffy if he agrees that the FAA should do more to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate drone usage, and if he’s willing to work with the committee to ensure that.

“I 100 percent agree with you, senator,” Duffy said, adding that he had seen a few himself.

“We need transparency,” Duffy said. “What’s happening, who’s flying, and so [on].”

Duffy also said the FAA needs to improve its rulemaking on drone regulations instead of relying on a patchwork of laws that incentivize manufacturers to innovate overseas, where the laws may be clearer.

“We have to have clear rules to beyond visual line of sight and make sure that this innovation continues to happen here,” Duffy said. “It has [the] potential of revolutionizing so many different things in the way our economy works; let’s make sure it happens here.”

Electric Vehicle Policy Changes

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) asked Duffy if he had any ideas for how to shore up the Highway Trust Fund amid the loss of revenue from electric vehicle (EV) drivers who don’t pay gasoline taxes, which support the fund.

“They should pay for [the] use of our roads; how to do that, I think, is a little more challenging,” Duffy replied.

As for ways to ensure the fund continues increasing at pace with the nation’s growth of commerce, Duffy said there are three immediate options: first, the Transportation Department could raise the gas tax, which he does not support; second, the government could increase tolling; third, it could use a mile-driven formula for those who aren’t paying gasoline taxes.

“My concern with that, though, is the privacy around the American citizens. So I think that’s a conversation that will fall within the purview of this committee,” Duffy said.

“We could be far more efficient with our dollars. We could streamline the approach and get dollars into projects, quicker.”

As for the Biden administration’s efforts to offer tax credits to incentivize the production of EVs over internal combustion engine vehicles, Duffy said he is in favor of a “robust marketplace” that supports all vehicle options.

“We shouldn’t be forced to buy cars that Washington wants. We should go buy the cars that we want,” he said.

“I think there’s room in this space for electric vehicles and gas-powered vehicles, and [it] might depend on your priorities, the places that you live, the temperatures of where you live. But I want to see a robust marketplace.”

However, Duffy committed to supporting the transportation infrastructure funding kickstarted by the Biden administration.

“President Trump, he’s a builder. He wants to invest in rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure,” Duffy said.

“If confirmed, I will work to reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects, ensuring funds are spent efficiently [and] we use the tax dollar well.”

Famous for being an alum of several MTV reality television shows, Duffy—also a lawyer—was first appointed by then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum to be Ashland County’s district attorney in 2002, staying in office until 2010.

After Duffy resigned from Congress in 2019 to care for his baby daughter, who was born with Down syndrome and a heart defect, he went on to co-host a program on Fox Business.